Burial vault



T NT I i f QLARANCE W. THOMPSON .AND WILLIAM J. @UIGLEYQOF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIG'NORS T0 RVERVIEW 'CEMETERY COMANY, 0F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE,

AA CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we. CLARANCE W. THOMPSON and VILLIAM J. QUIGLEY. citi zens of the United States, residinoy `at iVil-` niington. in the county of' New tiastle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and usei'ul improvements in Burial Vaults, of which the following is a specifi-y cation. f I i This invention relates to vaults of the type that are adapted to be placed in the ground to contain coliins holding dead bodies, and it is 4adapted particularly to vaults formed of concrete or otherainitially plastic material. f

It is an Aobject of the invention so to forni the joint between the lower or container portion of the vault and its cover; that a seal will be afforded between abuttingparts that will be reliableA in' preventing; seepage of moisture into ythe vault. t j

. Another object of the invention is to .form the vault so that the weight ofthe cover ,and of the earth thereabove will be imposed directly on the wall of the ylower portion in klines coincident with those ot the walls.;

lVhenconsidered in connection with the description hereinTthe characteristics ot the invention will be apparent ironrtlie accom'- panying drawing, 'forming part hereof, wherein an embodiment oit the invention, as embodied in a concrete vault. is disclosed, for purposes of illustration. c

Like reterence-characters refer to corresponding:- parts in the views ot the drawing, of which- Fig. l is a side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section; and

Fig. 3 is' an enlarged section at the joint.

Having more particular reference to the drawing, A designates the vsubstantially rectangular lower' or container portion of the vault and B the cover thereof. the cover being of arch shape to aiiord a structure sutiiciently strong to sustain the weight oit covering earth thereabove. Vhen those parts are formed of concrete or similar initially plastic material7 they preferably are strengthened by reinforcing elements C.

The container includes a bottom Liand a wall 5, which is substantially perpendicular to thebottom and constitutes the sides and ends of the container.

j BURIAL VAUL'L rEhe upper or free edge'of the wall 5 is, formed with a substantially Vrshaped'groove G,` whichv lextends entire-ly and continuously around' the container. The outer side of the wall immediately below` the outer edge of theI groove is disposed in a yplane that de-A cimes outwardly from the axis of the wall, as shown at?. This outer face 7 extends. ltromfthe outeredger of the groove `6 tothe topsurface S of an abutment `9 that projects outwardly from and is formed integrally withk the @wall and is disaosed entirely around the container below t e upper edge thereof. The top surface 8 lies in a plane that is' substantially `perpendicular j to the axis of the wall. n L i y kThe lower ory marginal portion of the cover yis shaped adjacent to the, innerside to afford a tenonflike protuberance or krib l0 arranged to be received by the groove 6 and with surfaces that lie rsubstantially parallel to those of the groove when the cover yis in Plac i' l i i I i i i Outside of theprotuberance the material of the cover Aextendsdownwardly as a flange 1L the lower edge 12o-f which lies in a plane substantially parallelto the top surface 8 of the abutment. vThe inner side 13 of the 'flange disposed in a plane that is non-par allel withyrespect to the outer side' of the wall and that isa greater distance `from that side a'tlthe bottomthan at theedge of the `groove 6. The parts and abuttingsurfaces are proportioned yin suoli manner that the hold sealing material. g

Although the vault provided by this invention is intended especially to hold a coffin containing' a body interred in a grave, it also is adapted for similar use in a mausoleum or the like.

When used in a grave, the container portion'A. first is lowered thereinto, sealing material 14.. such as cement, is placed yin the groove 6. against the outer tace 7, and on top of the abutment, the coiiin thereafter is lowered into the container7 and then the cover is lowered into association with the container. When the marginal surfaces of the cover come into abutment with those of the container, the sealing material will be pressed and distributed evenly therebetween. It the sealing material, when first placed Specification ofletters Eatent. "Patented Allg'g29f1922. f Appiicauon eiedfaugusr 15, 1921. serial No. 492,614, y f i abutment 9 extends outside of the flange to l the cover,

tional sealing material it may be necessary toaddjtheretoare pointed up, as shown at l5, to provide an outer seal on the projecting portion of' the abutment with a pitched outer surface arranged to shed water from the abutment. v i i It wv-ill be seen that the joint `between the container. and its cover is sealed4 at lfour places-in the groove 6between theabutting sides of the'wall and flange, between a"the lowerend of the flange andthe yupper surface of the abutment, and onlhe abutment outside of' the flange-and that seepage of' moisture through the oint thus will be prevented; 'Moreover`, as the flange extends downwardly from the u per edge of the wall at the groove,Y an adr itional factor ex! i'ststo lpreventseepage of' water, which hasa tendency Ito go downwardly rather tharrupwardly.` i

The partsmare arranged and proportioned i'n suchiiianiier that the downward effort of the cover is sustained at the top edge of the container-w all where the groove 6 is located, and :that eiliort is directed in lines substantially coincident with 'those of the wall. Thus the wall is not subjected to the torsional strains that would result from imposition of allor 'the greater part of the weight "sustained "by the cover on a projecting abutment, and the wall, accordingly, is notliable to have its integrity iinpai-redby pressure of l ln view of 1this feature, earth may be 'tainped ydown forcibly and compactly above the cover whilelthe grave is beingfilled, and the structur'ev'is capable of "sustaining ythe weight of earth` required to fill even'an unusualy deep grave.

The cover is equipped with handles 16 for use in carrying it and in lowering it onto the container. y

Hav-ingthus described our invention, What we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, isi l; A vault comprising a bottom, a wall substantially perpendicular thereto having a groove in its up )er edge andn having an outer surface declining outwardly immediately below said groove, an abutment on the outside of said wall below said groove, and a cover having a protuber'ance arranged to be receivedby said groove 'and a depend ing flange arranged to abut saidy abutment at its end and to abut said outer surface on its inner side, said inner side of the flange being at a greater distance Atrom said outer surface in its lower than iny its upper portion. v

2. A vault comprising the combination of a container formed with an upright surrounding, wall having a al-shaped groove in its upper edge and having an outer face declining immediately below and outwardly from said groove, an abutment on the outside ot said wall below said 'fat-e having an uppersurt'ace substantially perpendicular to Said wall,.and a cover havinfY a protuberance ot substantially the same shape as and arranged to be received by said4 groove anda depending flangearranged to abut said abutment at its end and to abut 'said outer tace on its inner side, said rinner side of said CLARANCE W. THOMPSON. WILLIAM J. QUIGLEY. 

